USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

100,000 ts

333 meters

40.80 meters ( waterline )

11 meters

4500

2 A1B nuclear reactors

The PCU Gerald R. Ford (CVN -78) is the next aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the same type of ship the Gerald R. Ford class. It is named after the former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford.

History

On September 10, 2008 Northrop Grumman has been officially awarded a contract worth of $ 5.7 billion for the construction of CVN -78. The keel laying of the carrier was held on November 14, 2009. However, the shipyard Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding began on 11 August 2005 with initial work, especially the cutting of steel plates. 2008 estimated the U.S. Navy, the total cost to $ 10.5 billion a new. In June 2008, the Congressional Budget Office went out of 11.4 billion dollars.

The Gerald R. Ford to be put into service in 2015 and then replace the USS Enterprise ( CVN -65 ), which was, however, already made ​​on 1 December 2012 out of service.

Naming

The decision to name the new carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, was not materially affected by the U.S. Congress. Virginia Senator John Warner brought a spare one for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, which proposed exactly that. The Congress agreed to George W. Bush confirmed the decision with his signature on October 17, 2006. However, it said only " is the sense of Congress that ... CVN -78 shoulderstand be named the USS Gerald R. Ford ". This shoulderstand ( to German should ) points out that the sole responsibility for the naming of ships with the United States Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter at this time is, .

On 3 January 2007 a ​​few days after Ford's death, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that the decision for naming after Ford had fallen. The Navy itself confirmed this officially on 16 January 2007.

On November 9, 2013, the launching of the ship was made. Was christened the aircraft carrier by Susan Ford Bales, daughter of Gerald Ford